The Four Color Media Monitor

Batman's the latest superhero now subject to publicity stunts of the character-replacement variety:

Move over, Bruce Wayne: There's going to be a new Batman fighting crime in Gotham City for DC Comics, and instead of a cape, he'll wear a manga-style suit of armor.

The creators of Batman are dethroning Wayne and bringing in a new Dark Knight as DC Comics begins to gear up for the annual Free Comic Book Day giveaways.

The way they put it makes it sound like the AP Wire themselves don't particularly like Bruce Wayne, let alone the costume. That's probably not surprising, given how these mainstream press companies never do objective reporting or reviewing on comics storytelling.

Author Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo won't say who will be under the armored cowl in Batman #41 — the cape is also retired along with Bruce Wayne — but say this is one of those stories that "changes all the pieces on the table."

"The character we're putting under the cowl never expected it, never saw it coming and never set out to be Batman," Snyder said. "It comes out of left field, and he realizes that he's the only one that can make it make sense."

Wayne ends his run as Batman following a climactic battle with his archenemy the Joker in the appropriately named storyline "Endgame," but it doesn't mean he's gone for good, said Snyder (he has relinquished his role as Batman at least twice before).

It makes no difference. Stories like these aren't character drama-driven as they'd like us to think, and if plots involving substitutes and characters dying are all they're interested in talking about, then it's clear they don't think very highly of story-driven tales at all.

Any kind of change to the character's mythos can be risky. But Snyder and Capullo — who designed the new armor — say their intention is to inject new interest into the Dark Knight comic books by putting a new person into the role.

"It gives us a chance to see Batman from this incredibly different angle," said Snyder, who has worked on the comic book with Capullo for four years.

The change in Batman is one of many going on in comic books recently, with Marvel re-casting a version of Spider-Man as a multi-racial teenager and Thor as a woman, and DC Comics reimaging icons like Superman and Wonder Woman during a company-wide reboot. This all comes as comic book superheroes are the focus of Hollywood blockbuster movies like "Avengers: Age of Ultron," opening this week, or TV's "Gotham," which tells the story of a young Bruce Wayne.

That's all the proof you need to know this isn't worth the attention they're giving it any more than what Marvel's products have received. If replacements and substitutes are the only way they can think to draw more interest, then it's clear they're artistically bankrupt.

The change in Batman hopefully will bring in new people to the book, Snyder said. "This gives us a new lease on the book, and it gives hopefully fans a sense of how fun Batman can be," Snyder said.

Sorry, but replacement heroes alone do not an entertaining story make. It's the writer's talent that makes the book fun, not the other way around. If Snyder were serious, he'd be telling the AP he hopes people will find his scripting fun. But he hasn't, and that just gives reason to be skeptical.

Labels: Batman, dc comics, dreadful writers, msm propaganda